This invention relates generally to chewing gum products made from a chewing gum composition and, in particular, to chewing gum products which utilize hydroxypropyl cellulose to increase the flavor release in chewing gum compositions.
The use of hydroxypropyl cellulose (or HPC) as a film coating media for a variety of encapsulated products is known in the art. Sweeteners, flavors and other ingredients have been encapsulated with various water-soluble cellulosics, including hydroxypropyl cellulose, and then used in chewing gum in order to modify the release of the encapsulated material.
Chewing gum compositions typically include gum base, flavoring and bulking and sweetening agents, as well as other optional ingredients such as softeners and coloring. As gum is chewed for an extended period of time, the taste sensation is reduced, thereby resulting in the impression that the gum has lost most of its flavor. In reality, most of the original flavor, about 70 to about 90 percent, is still present in the chewing gum. A need, therefore, exists for a method of increasing the amount of flavor released from chewing gum compositions as they are chewed over a period of time.
According to the present invention, it has now been discovered that the use of low levels of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) in mint-flavored chewing gum increases the amount of flavor released from the chewing gum resulting in the impression of a stronger flavor. Analytical tests have shown that levels from about 0.2 percent to about 1 percent HPC in gum significantly increase the release rate of menthol and menthone. The result is a chewing gum product with a stronger mint flavor. Also, the increase in the flavor release when HPC is used in chewing gum means that less flavor need be used to give the impression of the usual flavor level.
The present invention thus includes a chewing gum product having increased flavor release comprising from about 5% to about 95% by weight gum base. from about 5% to about 95% by weight bulking and sweetening agents, from about 0.1% to about 15% by weight flavor, and from about 0.005% to about 1% by Weight hydroxypropyl cellulose in its natural, or powder, form. The present invention also includes a method of increasing the release of flavor in chewing gum compositions comprising the step of adding hydroxypiopyl cellulose to the chewing gum composition. Finally, the present invention includes a method of making a chewing gum product having an increased flavor release comprising the steps of forming a chewing gum composition comprising from about 5% to about 95% gum base, from about 5% to 95% bulking and sweetening(g agents and from about 0.1% to about 15% flavor, and adding from about 0.005% to about 1% hydroxypropyl cellulose in its powder form directly to the chewing gum composition)
The foregoing and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying examples.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cchewing gumxe2x80x9d includes all types of gum compositions, including sugar and sugarless chewing gum, bubble gum and the like.
All percentages used herein are weight percentages unless other vise specified.
In general, a chewing gum composition typically comprises a water-soluble bulk portion, a water-insoluble chewable gum base portion and one or more water-insoluble flavoring agents. Tile water-soluble portion dissipates with a portion of the flavoring agent over a period of time during chewing. The gum base portion is retained in the mouth throughout the chewing process.
The insoluble gum base generally includes elastomers, elastomer plasticizers (resins), fats and oils, waxes, softeners and inorganic fillers. The clastomers may include polyisobutylenle, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer, styrene butadiene rubber and natural latexes such as chicle. The resins may include polyvinylacetate and terpene resins. Low molecular weight polyvinlylacetate is a preferred resin Fats and oils may include tallow, soybean and cotton seed oils, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and cocoa butter. Commonly used waxes include paraffin, microcrystalline and natural waxes such as beeswax, candellia, camauba and polyethylene wax. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the insoluble gum base constitutes between about 5 and about 95 percent by weight of the gum. More preferably the insoluble gum base comprises between about 10 and about 50 percent by weight of the gum and most preferably between about 20 and about 35 percent by weight of the gum.
The gum base typically also includes a filler component. The filler component may be calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, talc, dicalcium phosphate and the like. The filler may constitute between about 5 and about 60 percent by weight of the gum base. Preferably, the filler comprises between about 5 and about 50 percent by weight of the gum base.
Gum bases typically also contain softeners, including glycerol monostearate and glycerol triacetate. Further, gum bases may also contain optional ingredients such as antioxidants, colors and emulsifiers. The present invention contemplates employing any commercially acceptable gum base.
The water-soluble portion of the chewing gum contains bulking and sweetening agents. In sugar gums, sucrose is typically both the bulking agent and the sweetening agent. Other sugar sweeteners include dextrose, maltose, dried invert sugar, fructose, levulose, galactose, corn syrup solids, glucose sugar and the like, alone or in combination In sugarless gums, the bulking and sweetening agents usually include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, maltitol and the like, alone or in combination.
The bulking and sweetening agents usually comprise from about 30 to about 90 percent of the gum composition, and preferably from about 50 to about 80 percent.
High-intensity sweeteners may also be present and are commonly used with sugarless sweeteners. When used, high-intensity sweeteners typically constitute from about 0.001 to about 5 percent by weight of the chewing gum, preferably from about 0.01 to about 1 percent by weight of the chewing gum. Typically, high-intensity sweeteners are at least twenty times sweeter than sucrose. These may include, but are not limited to sucralose, aspartalne, salts of acesulfame, alitame, saccharin and its salts, cyclanmic acid and its salts, glycyrrnizin, dilydrochalcones, thaumatin, monellin and the like, alone or in combination.
The water-soluble portion of the chewing gum may further comprise softeners, flavoring agents and combinations thereof. Softeners are added to the chewing gum in order to optimize the chewability and mouth feel of the gum. The softeners, which are also known as plasticizers or plasticizing agents, generally constitute from about 0.5 to about 15 percent of the chewing gum. Softeners contemplated by the present invention include glycerin, lecithin and combinations thereof. Further, aqueous sweetener solutions such as those containing sorbitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, corn syrup and combinations thereof may be used as softeners and binding agents in chewing gum.
The flavoring agent used in the gum may be present in an amount within the range of from about 0.1 to about 15 percent by weight of the chewing gum, preferably from about 0.2 to about 5 percent by weight of the chewing gum and most preferably from about 0.5 to about 3 percent by weight of the chewing gum. Flavoring agents may include essential oils, synthetic flavors or mixtures thereof, including but not limited to oils derived from plants and fruit such as citrus oils, fruit essences, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, other mint oils, clove oil, oil of wintergreen, cinnamon, anise and the like. Artificial flavoring agents and components are also contemplated for use in chewing gums of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that natural and artificial flavoring agents may be combined in any sensorally acceptable fashion. All such flavors and flavor blends are contemplated by the present invention However. mint flavors appear to have tile best enhancement by use of the present invention and thus are preferred. Most preferred is peppermint flavor. Peppermint flavor includes large amounts of menthol and menthone.
Optional ingredients such as colors, emulsifiers and pharmaceutical agents may also be included in chewing gum.
In general, chewing gum is manufactured by sequentially adding the various cheering gum ingredients to a commercially available mixer known in the art. After the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed, the gun the mass is discharged from the mixer and shaped into the desired form by one of several methods, including rolling into sheets and cutting into sticks, extruding into chunks or casting into pellets.
Generally, the ingredients are mixed by first melting the gum base and adding it to the running mixer. The base may also be melted in the mixer itself. Color or emulsifiers may be added at this time. A softener such as glycerin may also be added at this time, along with syrup and a portion of the bulking agent. Further portions of the bulking agent may then be added to the mixer. The flavoring agent is typically added with the final portion of the bulking agent. The entire mixing procedure typically takes from 5 to 15 minutes, but longer mixing may sometimes be required.
In practicing the present invention, hydroxypropyl cellulose is incorporated directly into the gum composition in its natural powder form, as opposed to being premixed with another ingredient or used as an encapsulant or an agglomerating agent. The addition of HPC to chewing gum in this particular manner results in release of some flavor components of the chewing gum more readily Generally, between about 0.005 and about I percent HPC may be used, preferably between about 0.01 and about 0.6 percent and most preferably between about 0.1 and 0.4 percent. The level of HPC added to the chewing gum composition effects the release of flavor. As the level of HPC increases, more flavor is released. However, the use of HPC at levels greater than about 1 percent resulted in chewing gum that lost its integrity and dissolved.
Hydroxypropyl cellulose is commercially available from Hercules, Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware under the trade name KLUCEL. Hydroxypropyl cellulose is available as a food grade material at various molecular weight (MW) ranges. For example, KLUCEL HF has a molecular weight range of about 50,000 to about 1,500,000, KLUCEL GF has a molecular weight range of about 100,000 to about 500,000; and KLUCEL El has a molecular weight range of about 60,000 to about 100,000. The different molecular weights of HPC have different effects on the release of the flavor components. For example, low molecular weight HPC gives a faster, early release of menthol, menthonc and other similar flavors, whereas higher molecular weight HPC gives a slower, late release of the flavor components. Tests indicated, however, that after 40 minutes of chewing, the level of release was virtually the same, regardless of the molecular weight of the HPC used. Thus, the HPC used in the present invention preferably has a molecular weight range between about 60,000 and about 1,500,000.